Not according to most of the UK media, Steve Rose writes.
Pavlo Lapshyn committed acts of terror and carried out ‘terror offences’. He is cold, calculating and extremely dangerous. Yet, according to most media, he is not a terrorist. Outside of the Times and Daily Star, few used the word terrorist in their headlines….
The label of ‘terrorist’ brings an expectation of condemnation from the perpetrator’s community. A reassurance that moderate voices will prevail. However, in recent years, that expectation only falls upon Muslims….
It is further proof that terrorism is an empty term, a label reflexively applied when the perpetrator has a specific religious identity. As a result, supporters of the English Defence League can continue to claim, “That all the terrorists at the moment are Muslim,” which is another falsehood.
Until we stop dehumanising Muslims to feed the illusion of our own moral and cultural superiority, we will not learn from this tragedy. Nor will we reflect on our own capacity for terror on those we oppose. Nobody has the monopoly on terrorism. It has no nationality or religious faith, it crosses borders and cultures.